13 guilt-free TV shows to let your kids binge during lockdown

Lockdown’s enduring work-from-home routine has left parents of young children with little choice: sometimes you need to glue your kids in front of the TV with a snack plate and total access to multiple streaming platforms just to get through the workday.

Michelle Obama and Waffles in Netflix’s Waffles + Mochi.Credit:Netflix

If you’re feeling guilty about the endless hours of TV screen-time your kids are currently processing, you needn’t be. Like a crayon or scissors or a paring knife, excessive amounts of daily TV can be a useful tool for a child’s well-adjusted development (allegedly).

I’m not a kid doctor, but I’m telling you this from experience: my childhood involved at least eight hours of TV a day. And look at me now, Ma! (you can’t see me, but I’m juggling dollar coins in the air like Scrooge McDuck).

But there’s one important caveat - you’ve got to pick the right TV shows. If you’re letting your four-year-old binge Sky News and Hot Seat, I can’t help you. For everyone else, here are some suggestions.

Blaze and the Monster Machines (10Play; Paramount+; Binge; Stan)
It may look like a simple cartoon about talking monster trucks (who awkwardly advise “Let’s blaze!” to pre-pubescent audience), but it’s packed with STEM concepts that propel its storylines and encourage problem-solving. Plus the catchy theme song will teach your kids to value pop-punk, which is also important.

Sesame Street (ABC iView; Netflix)
Now in its 51st season, the series that first brought educational goals (and Elmo) to kids’ TV remains the safest bet for a guilt-free, temporary substitution to parenting. And thanks to more recent character additions including Rosita and Ovejita, your kids will probably be fluent in Spanish by the time they start kindergarten.

Ask the Storybots (Netflix)
Netflix’s Emmy-winning series about a gang of cute robots answering questions even the wisest parent never could (“How do computers work?“, “What happens when you flush the toilet?“) is top viewing. Put it on for the kid-friendly facts, stick around for the great songs and cameos from stars including Ali Wong and Maria Bamford.

Bluey (ABC iView)
The ABC hit, centred around a Steiner-esque philosophy emphasising imaginative play, is catnip for kids with its warmth, humour and creative ideas. But beware the threat of your toddler asking you, “Why don’t you ever play games with me like Bandit does?” To which the appropriate reply is, “Because he’s a cartoon dog who lives on Brisbane rental prices.”

Bingo, Bluey, Bandit and Chilli from the ABC’s Bluey.Credit:ABC

Waffles + Mochi (Netflix)
A kids’ cooking show featuring zany puppets and Michelle Obama (or as she’s known on the show, “Mrs O”), this series - from Michelle and Barack’s Higher Ground Productions - looks to foster an appetite for healthy eating and a foodie’s curiosity in kids. Hopefully you’re okay with requests for “umami” for dinner?

The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (Disney+)
Disney’s new follow-up to its Emmy-winning 2013 shorts series Mickey Mouse (Our Homespun Melody remains a personal favourite) is just as charming, full of gorgeous animation and delightful songs. Compared to some CGI monstrosities that pass for kids’ TV, this is basically fine art.

Mister Maker (ABC iView; Amazon Prime Video)
The BBC hit, hosted by BAFTA-nominated Phil Gallagher as the obsessively-buttoned Mister Maker, is impressive in its creative commitment, turning household junk like egg cartons, toilet rolls and kitchen scourers into art. Make sure your kid has access to safety scissors and the recycling bin, and they’ll be delightfully preoccupied.

SpongeBob Squarepants (10Play; Paramount+; Netflix; Binge)
The surreal comedy about a burger-flippin’ underwater sea sponge and his dimwitted starfish bestie may not be “educational” in the traditional sense. But c’mon, don’t you want your kid to be funny? Help develop their off-kilter sense of humour so they’ll be ready to launch a podcast in their 20s.

Go Jetters (ABC iView; Stan; Binge)
You might be alarmed by the fact this show is led by a funk-dancing unicorn named Ubercorn, but don’t be: with its globe-trekking adventures and “funky facts” about exotic locales, it’s basically a geography class in cartoon form. Your kid will soon be begging you for a trip to Cappadocia, but that’s your problem.

Octonauts (ABC iView; Stan; Netflix)
A sort of deep-sea Star Trek featuring a crew led by a polar bear, a penguin and a Cockney cat, this hit cartoon is ridiculously informative about marine life. So many times I’ve assumed the creatures they encounter are fictional (“vampire squids can’t be real!”), until Google informs me otherwise. Essential viewing for any budding marine biologists.

The Snoopy Show (Apple TV)
Charlie Brown still can’t kick a ball (good grief), Lucy Van Pelt is still dishing out contentious psychiatric advice for five cents a session, and there are still no adults: Apple TV’s Peanuts remake retains the sweet spirit of the originals, down to the jazzy soundtrack. I’m pretty sure binging this will make your kid a better person.

Brainchild (Netflix)
Produced by pop star Pharrell Williams, this show’s easily digestible, investigative approach to topics such as superheroes, social media, germs and emotions is basically Malcolm Gladwell for kids. Like that workmate who endlessly quotes Outliers, your kid will bombard you with random facts all day long.

Looney Tunes Cartoons (Binge)
It’s nice to know that Warner Bros’ latest re-dux of its Merrie Melodies squad has also resurrected the slapstick violence and madcap mania that defined the series’ golden age (ah, the comforting sight of an animated stick of dynamite). I mean, we watched these things as kids and we turned out (mostly) okay, right?

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.

Robert Moran is a culture reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

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